PMJ's automation of the final assembly process

Citation

(1999), "PMJ's automation of the final assembly process", Soldering & Surface Mount Technology, Vol. 11 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ssmt.1999.21911cad.010

PMJ's automation of the final assembly process

PMJ's automation of the final assembly process

Keywords PMJ, Automation, Assembly

Although the final assembly of most products is still performed by hand, the majority of manufacturers would automate the process if a suitable solution existed. Traditional attempts to provide such a solution have often been extremely costly and complicated and suffered from an inability to replace manual assembly's flexibility to accommodate new product designs.

Plate 2 PMJ's highly flexible HiSAC 1500 FA final assembly cell produces dramatic product throughput and quality improvements by automating the final assembly process

These barriers are reportedly eliminated by PMJ's adaptable HiSAC 1500 FA final assembly cell which can perform an array of final assembly functions (Plate 2). These range from labelling and screw driving to component calibration. And by eliminating the need for operators, the HiSAC 1500 FA cell achieves dramatic quality and throughput gains while yielding a maximum return on investment.

To ensure maximum uptime on a line, PMJ's final assembly cell can be re-configured for product changeovers within minutes. This is achieved through a series of unique features designed to make the machine as flexible as possible.

A dedicated servo gripper is used to pick up a vast array of different sized final assembly components. This is combined with an automatic tooling (or finger change) mechanism that allows an equally wide range of different shapes to be accommodated. This arrangement is further enhanced by a quick-change vacuum pick-up system.

Because screw driving is one of the most common manual final assembly operations, all PMJ HiSAC 1500 FA cells include a screw driver capability that can be easily configured as an option as and when required.

To accommodate the greatest range of final assembly parts, the HiSAC 1500 FA cell also uses an advanced feeder interface that can accept components supplied in almost any format from tray to GPAX, tube or special feeders.

For large tray feeders, an X, Y, Z and RZ manipulator in the feeder load components onto a shuttle. These are then transported into the cell to minimise placement distance and accelerate assembly cycle times. Components can even be calibrated en route in the shuttle and trays loaded or unloaded while the cell is running.

Component calibration can also be performed during the pick and place cycle for components supplied in tape or reel format, and if necessary dual feeders can be used to avoid delays introduced by reel changeovers.

One sector where PMJ's final assembly cells are being heavily used is the mobile phone industry. Because high volume mobile phone production demands round the clock production, the PMJ final assembly cells eliminate a host of traditional problems associated with manual assembly in such environments.